bright yellow raincoat
by iseesparksfly
Summary: The different stages of Austin and Ally's relationship, starting with how they met / or a bright yellow raincoat is there through it all AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So a day or so ago I saw a prompt on twitter which was basically a picture with different words and phrases to represent different parts of a relationship. It was really cute and obviously I decided to ruin it by writing a poor fic about it, sorry guys. I honestly have no idea what this is or what I was writing half the time but here ya go, and sorry it sucks**

**Part 1**

**"Hi"**

She's a friend of a friend. Or to be specific a friend of a girlfriend.

They see each other one day at Cassidy's parent's anniversary party on a fairly dreary day in November.

He was dressed in a smart looking dinner jacket and he had shined his shoes until he could see his reflection in them, although his hair is left as its usual effortless mess on the top of the head. No one is complaining as he nervously runs a hand through his blond hair yet again and effectively messes it up, yet still making it look perfect.

He's nervous because meeting his significant others parents is a big step and he has no idea what to say or do in their presence. Should he shake _his_ hand or kiss _her_ cheek, or is that not done anymore? He was worried, scared and apprehensive when he was first invited to the party and that worry has only increased over time. His mother says to just be himself, his dad says to act confident and Dez says that he should get them a unique gift, like a giraffe, to make a good impression. He decides maybe it's best not to take Dez's advice.

He remembers when he first met Cassidy. He was sitting in his favourite booth at his favourite diner and she had skipped over, singing the most beautiful song he had ever heard about potato salad. He tried his best to impress and woo her, and then eventually she had accepted a date from him. He'd been nervous then. In fact he changed his outfit about 10 times before he had left the house _(he may or may not have gotten half way down the street and retreated back to change his tie). _He was also nervous when he officially asked her to be his girlfriend. He had ended up calling her the slab of butter on his pancake stack _(obviously she was the syrup)_ but she understands anyway and they're now together and he's happy. Dez isn't fully convinced on her until week 2 of their relationship. He is adamant to assure Austin that is it nothing to do with the discount she gets him on Chicken Pot Pie, because bribery doesn't work on him _(but it's obvious to everyone that chicken pot pies are the way to his heart_). However right now, he was even more nervous than both times before.

The party was being held in an outdoor marquee attached to the side of a hall and many people were gathered outside, soaking the sunshine. Or at least that was the plan. Unfortunately the weather had other plans and dark grey clouds overshadowed the area, threatening to unleash a torrent of rain on the party-goers, effectively ruining the frocks and outfits that had taken so long to put together. None the less, people still milled among the grass, chatting to people they hadn't seen for a while and sharing anecdotes from their past. Sadly for Austin he doesn't have any anecdotes to share, yet he still gets dragged into conversation.

He didn't even want to come to the party in the first place but was effectively convinced to come with the promise of a buffet table and a pancake bar. 30 minutes in and there was not a sight of the breakfast perfection and he was stuck talking to his girlfriend's 2nd cousin 3 times removed. Or was it her 3rd cousin twice removed? Either way he's bored and nodding politely soon loses its appeal after what feels like the hundredth exclamation of 'Well aren't you a handsome young man' and being pinched on the cheeks a few too many times.

He doesn't even know these people, he's lost Cassidy in the crowd, it's starting to drizzle and all in all he just wants to leave and go play video games with his best friend. Unfortunately someone out there seems to dislike the boy and it starts pouring with rain forcing the ladies with their fancy hats and the men in their pressed suits to assemble in the hall.

In the centre of the hall is a large stage and a band is set up already, covering a song that Austin vaguely recognises. He nods his head in appreciation and hums along with the lead singer. His hair is now slightly damp because of the rain but he runs a hand through it, pushing it away from his forehead and he rolls up the cuffs of his sleeves. He doesn't notice the teenage girls in the room staring at him in wonderment, nor does he make any attempt to make conversation with anybody.

Although the hall is big Austin still feels pretty claustrophobic and enclosed. People are still trying to talk to him; mothers and daughters the most and he continues to listen politely because his own mother raised him to be respectful, although honestly he's heard enough stories about the countryside to last him a lifetime. They ask him questions too, and he feels like he's being quizzed and assessed.

He just desperately wants to find Cassidy, meet her parents and then promptly leave and escape the stuffiness. Excusing himself from the current conversation, Austin walks to the side of the hall and cranes his head to look for her, eyes flitting over the heads of unfamiliar people. It's a blur of fancy hats and slicked back hair and he's starting to get desperate.

He is elated when he finally sees Cassidy across the room, standing next to the door talking to a girl. He vaguely remembers her telling him about a friend from their school who would also be coming to the party and assumes that this must be her. He guesses she must feel like him; out of place and uncomfortable. Or at least he hopes so, and that he isn't just socially impaired. She's wearing a bright yellow anorak and unfortunately the mystery girl has her back to him so he can't see her face, only her hair. It's brown, falls down her back in ringlets and he can see caramel highlights at the tip of the hair. He realises then that her hair isn't just brown, it's also toffee and red and coffee and honey coloured. He shakes himself, wondering why he's taking such an interest in a random girl's hair, and decided to start walking toward them, so as not to feel alone anymore. Cassidy sees him over the girls shoulder and gesticulates wildly for him to come over to the, causing the girl to turn and look over her shoulder in his direction to see who the motion was aimed towards.

The moment he sees her face his eyes widen. She has a pale complexion, rosy cheeks and red lips, and that's all Austin really has a chance think about because then he sees her eyes and he can no longer think. They're brown and deep and thoughtful and he thinks he might be frozen, even though he can feel his legs still moving towards the pair. He decides right then that she's beautiful. And not beautiful as in she applied her makeup expertly, but as in her eyes seem to see right through him and she has the face of innocence and perfection.

He's standing next to her now and blinks once, checking to see is she's real. She's still there and she's looking over to the door. With a start Austin is brought back to reality when Cassidy wraps an arm around his waist in welcome. Cassidy; his girlfriend of 6 months that he likes very much and the girl that he met when she was his waitress at his favourite _diner (she had quit a few weeks after their relationship started, and Austin would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed)._ Cassidy; The girl he made a mix tape for on Valentine's Day and the girl who messes up his hair and affectionately calls him 'blondie' (_Dez had teased him constantly for that for a few months, ruffling his hair teasingly and calling him 'blondie' in front of their other friends. That was embarrassing_). Cassidy; the girl he had just completely forgotten for a moment because of a girl he doesn't even know _(but he wish he did)._

He wants to kick himself because he's at _his girlfriend's _parent's party and he shouldn't be looking at other girls, but for a moment Cassidy didn't even register in his mind. He was too preoccupied looking at someone else. He doesn't want to turn into _'that guy'_ so purposely doesn't look at the girl his girlfriend was talking to, feeling guilty even though he hadn't actually done anything.

When he quickly takes a glance at her he realises that she's about to leave because she's zipping up her yellow raincoat quickly and is hopping from one foot to another, as if she's about the rush out the door. He feels a flash of disappointment but shakes himself out of it a moment later. Quickly he glances to Cassidy again. She's talking about the band that's playing and he tries to listen and ignore the presence besides him. He can't ignore her completely though when she starts to speak. She and Cassidy are fangirling _together_ about the band.

Her voice is quiet, soft and light, while Cassidy's is drawling, smooth and loud. He quickly reminds himself that he liked Cassidy's relaxed speech and pushes away his liking of the quiet and tinkling voice as well as the butterflies that appear because of it. The bubble of conversation stops for a moment when Cassidy turns to talk to someone, not moving from her position. There's no way he can ignore her now, and he's nothing if not polite, so he turns and looks at the girl in the yellow coat.

Austin awkwardly smiles at her, but stops when she fully smiles at him. For some reason he finds himself smiling widely too and he's not even sure why. He racks his brain for something to say. Maybe '_what's your name'_ or '_are you enjoying yourself'_ or even '_you look beautiful'_ _(although that wouldn't go down well with the girl that still has her arm draped around his waist and is leaning to talk to a distant relative). _He doesn't chose to say any of these things and just simply says

"_Hi._"

He kicks himself yet again, this time because he sounds like an idiot who can't start a conversation properly and his hands are starting to sweat like a school boy. She just laughs lightly _(there are the butterflies again)_ and tilts her head to the side.

"_Hi."_ she responds

He hears the laughter in her voice and he can't help but laugh too because so far their conversation has not gone over 2 syllables, yet he prefers it over the lengthy ones he had endured all night. He's about to speak again when Cassidy returns quickly, pulling the blond away and hugging the girl simultaneously in a sort of group hug, saying goodbye.

The girl is caught by surprise and ends up being squished into Austin's chest without warning. He grabs her waist to stop her from falling and she grabs his shoulder and for a moment Austin forgets his girlfriends name once again. Her head fits under his chin and he wishes she could stay there because she feels warm and smells like vanilla, but then the hug is over and Cassidy is dragging him away by the wrist and deeper into the hall.

Taking a glance behind him as they weave between people he sees a flash of yellow before the door is closed once again. He turns back in the direction he is travelling and thinks of her bright yellow coat, the fact he doesn't even know her name and that she reminds him of sunshine.

But then he has to push his thoughts aside a second later because he remembers he's going to meet Cassidy's parents. His palms are sweating again, this time in anxiety because he's scared, and he may or may not have just forgotten his own name. He reminds himself to maybe, this time, not start the conversation off with

"_Hi."_

**_A/N: Um so yeah I did warn you it was bad and nothing really happened. But still, if for some reason you enjoyed this please review/fav/follow and that'd be great._**

**__****_My twitter is ughadorkable if you want to follow me, but I have a habit of tweeting at midnight my time (UK) so maybe not. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I really don't know what this is honestly. Oh wait I do; It's the product of procrastination from doing my German homework. ****But on a serious note, I really am sorry. **

**Disclaimer: **

**I don't own Austin. Or Ally. Or and. Ok bye.**

**Part 2 **

"**Nice to meet you as well"**

Their second meeting is so typically conventional that it could really be seen as a disappointment by anyone not involved.

A cliché mix of a coffee shop, a spilt drink, rain and stuttered apologies was how Austin was first _properly_ introduced to the girl in the bright yellow coat and how he finally learnt her name. Which is a relief because really 'the girl in the yellow coat' doesn't quite do her justice and honestly it's also a bit of a mouthful.

After Cassidy's parents party he seems to see her everywhere. Or at least he thinks he majority of the time it's a trick of the light, or someone with similar hair and he ends up wasting his time. He once even chased someone wearing a yellow coat down the street once, before they turned around and revealed that they were not a teenage girl, but a shortish man in his 40's, with dark hair that was starting to grey. He seemed friendly enough but wasn't quite who Austin was looking for. Looking back at it now he doesn't know why he didn't realise the man wasn't his girl _(he tries ignore that he had just called her 'his girl' despite the fact that he doesn't know her name). _Maybe he was just blinded by desperation. It seems to be taking over his life, trying to find this girl.

Of course he had rung his best friend for advice on the matter a few days after the party because honestly who else would he tell? He explains in detail the whole situation_ (the situation being that he can't stop thinking about a girl he doesn't even know)_ and as usual Dez is full of useful advice.

"Did you know that it's really hard to find a word to rhyme with yellow?"

Okay, so his advice is never really relevant as such, nor is it useful, but none the less the pair still managed to spend five minutes trying to come up with words that do rhyme with yellow. 'Hello', 'bellow' and 'cello' all make the list _(apparently it isn't really that hard)_ but 'fellow' was discounted because Dez says "Dude, you aren't British so you're not allowed to say that".

They finally get back on subject when Dez starts ranting; something along the lines of 'I can't believe you just said pillow rhymes with yellow! Pi and ye don't match up. Pi-, ye-, pi-, ye-, pi-" and Austin interrupts him before he gets a headache.

"But what about Cassidy?"  
"What about Cassidy?" Dez asks obliviously.  
"Well, don't you think I'm a terrible person for thinking about someone else when I'm with her?"

"In short; No."

Austin couldn't say he was surprised with the response.

Dez had started to become a bit iffy about Cassidy. He'd only properly met her twice, aside from seeing her around at school, and the first thing she had said was 'Your suspenders don't match your shirt'. He had held a slight grudge against her since then but had learnt to tolerate her because his best friend was so infatuated with her. That didn't mean he liked it when Austin would ditch him to go on a date with her or he was demoted to sitting in the back seat of his car while she sat shotgun. However he swears his dislike of her has absolutely nothing to do with the fact Cassidy no longer works at Melody Diner and consequently Chicken Pot Pie discounts no longer apply (_he's lying of course).  
_

"What did you say her name was?" Dez asks  
"Well, I don't actually know but-"  
"Wait a second. You're obsessing over a girl you don't even know the name of?"  
"I'm not obsessed with her."  
"Sure." Austin could almost hear his friend rolling his eyes  
"Besides it doesn't matter because I'll never see her again."  
"Ah, I don't know Austin, the universe works in mysterious ways. Trust me I would know, because I am the-"  
"Don't say it."  
"Love-"  
"Dez-"  
"Whisperer"  
"You just had to say it"  
"Of course"  
"Okay, 'Love Whisperer'. Let's say I do see her again, what exactly am I supposed to say? 'It's nice to see you again. Awful weather we're having isn't it? Oh and by the way I haven't stopped thinking about you since the moment we met'."  
There's silence for a moment and Austin hopes Dez is preparing to deliver something very insightful that would fix his problems just like _that._

"Austin I'm flattered but I thought you liked this girl from the party?"

Or not.

Dez figures that his best friend had lost phone signal when he gets no reply and hears the dial tone ringing in his ear.

* * *

Austin didn't know why he was so desperate to see her again since they had only exchanged hellos and he knew absolutely nothing about her. So far the only thing he knew they had in common was that they were both friends _or_ in a relationship with Cassidy. Austin being the one in the relationship, of course.

In fact, he thinks one day, she could turn out to be a horrible person and he's just wasting his time but something tells him that's not true. Maybe it's something to do with her face or her voice or her laugh, he's not sure, but he can only imagine her being sweet and kind and loving. Not that it matters anyway, it's not like he's going to see her again.

And there's also the fact that he has a girlfriend and relentlessly searching for another girl is probably not something he should he doing.

So he tries his best to forget the girl in the bright yellow rain coat, because he doesn't want to be a jerk to the girl he met at the diner all those months ago and is currently dating. Cassidy.

And he does forget her. He forgets that raincoat and her pretty face and the way she fits in the crook of his neck and-

Okay. Maybe he doesn't forget her. But he does blur her slightly and shifts the focus onto Cassidy, where he knows it should be _(she's still there, just a bit more pixelated)__. _

And for a few weeks he doesn't think about her _(much)_ and Dez stops asking about her _(as much)_ and things at least feel a bit more normal.

* * *

So on the day he sees her again he's shocked and surprised, but admittedly happy.

It was pelting it down outside that day _(for Miami the weather was being completely out of sorts)_ and Austin was grateful for the cosy warmth of the coffee shop, his head bent over a laptop on his lap and his ears listening to the soft murmuring of chatter around him. The occasional clicking of the coffee machine and the squealing of the kettle filled the background and he once again thanked the stars that he had found this place to study and do work. It wasn't too loud to be distracting and it wasn't too quiet to feel self conscious about clicking your pen and feeling as if you just caused a sonic boom. It was the perfect mix of middle aged ladies gossiping about their colleagues at work and college students typing away furiously at their laptops, as well as a dash of elderly people complaining about teenagers attitudes these days.

His laptop is pushed onto the table when the waitress delivers his drink to him with a smile and he wraps his hands around the hot drink appreciatively. As a regular at the shop the staff don't mind him sitting there and doing his work and he often has conversations with them about what he's working on. The waitress today is Julie. She had bought the place with her husband, Mark, 10 years ago and together they ran it well. Julie often tells him about her children and always checks to make sure he's eating enough and isn't overworked or stressed. She never had learnt to turn off her mothering instincts when at work but he appreciated that she cared.

Julie walks back to the counter where Mark is standing and Austin notices that today she's wearing a yellow scarf.

Yellow.

Which reminds him of her.

He hasn't thought about her for a while, his mind being focused on other things and he thinks that maybe he's finally at a point when he can forget her _(although the fact that he thinks about forgetting her shows that she's still on his mind).  
_

And then he sees a flash of yellow through the window in the corner of his eye, just before he's about to dive back into this essay that is in for tomorrow _(it's not like he's had it all week but chose to play video games instead). _Then a second later he's blinked and it's gone, swallowed up in the crowd that's rushing into shelter and he's shaking his head because he must be seeing things. But then it's back again, just a flash in the crowd of grey coats and umbrella's out in the street. He decides it's stupid to get his hopes up, besides he now knows that she is not the only person in Miami that wears a yellow rain coat.

What was he doing? Oh yes, his essay-

But then his thoughts are cut off because a bell is ringing showing the door has just opened and he looks up, more out of habit than anything.

And she's there.

* * *

She's still wearing her yellow coat _(although it didn't appear to help much)._ Her hair is sodden and plastered onto her face and neck, while her shoes make a satisfying squelching sound as she moves. He still can't stop looking at her because she look so adorable bundled up and he didn't realise how much he had missed her, but then he frowns because she's shivering and he wonders if it's weird to want to hug her and not let ago until she's warm again. He decides that yes, it is weird.

She looks up for a second and meets his eye but then Julie is rushing over to her and fussing like the mothering type she is. She starts to help the shivering girl take off her coat and takes her by the arm to the bathroom where there are towels. Austin's eyes follow her back until Julie has ushered her into the bathroom and the door swings shut. He starts to turn back to the drink he had placed on the table in front of him but before he can he meets the knowing gaze of Mark, who is still stationed behind the counter.

"No matter how pretty you find a girl, it's rude to stare" Mark jokes, causing Austin's eyes to widen and his cheeks start to flush

Trying to gain his composure he crosses his arms over his chest.

"I wasn't staring" he mutters.

Mark scoffs and looks at the blond teenager in disbelief.

"Yeah okay."

"Good." Austin is relieved that the conversation is over.

"But I'm just saying, you were staring at her like she was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen."

Apparently it wasn't over.

"I have a girlfriend!" Austin tries to protest in his defence.

"And I bet you don't stare at her like you just stared at that girl!" Mark protests in the same tone.

"Oh come on-"

Austin is about to defend himself again when the bathroom door swings open and he abruptly shuts his mouth because she's back, a towel clutched in her hands. Julie is holding her coat and Austin can see that despite the weather the girl is wearing a dress, albeit with tights, and wonders how cold she must really be. She's shivering a little less than before though which he's relieved about but he can't help the expression of worry that appears on his face. Remembering what Mark said he stop looking at her hastily but not before seeing Mark smirk knowingly at him. He glares and averts his attention to look through the window, watching the rain slide down the glass.

Meanwhile Julie hasn't stopped fussing over the girl and is handing her a warm drink, urging her to drink up, before going back behind the counter and talking with her husband.

The short brunette starts to walk over to a seat and clutches the drink in the cardboard cup protectively as if was her life support.

And then it's out of her hand and for a split second moment she frowns because her hands are still freezing and she's lost her hand warmer. But then realises that it must have gone somewhere. It turns out _somewhere_ is the shirt of the teenage boy she had noticed when she first came in and right now she wants the ground to swallow her up.

She hurriedly bends down and starts dabbing at the stain on his shirt in panic, muttering repeated apologies and curses alternately. When she doesn't get a response she looks up and meets the eyes of the teenager and is surprised that the boy is just looking at her, as if it was perfectly normal for her to be attacking his shirt and for a moment she stops and just stares back at him. She expects him to start yelling at her but all he does is joke that he went inside to escape getting his clothes wet and she ducks her head in embarrassment, apologising yet again.

Austin wants to laugh at her embarrassment because he can't help but notice that her cheeks have turned red and he wants to tease her. However he restrains and just says it's nice to meet her.

Not surprisingly she's frozen for a moment because he's using pleasantries seconds after she spilt a scolding liquid onto a rather expensive looking shirt and she's sure that isn't the normal response. But then again, maybe he's not a normal boy.

She's left floundering for a few moments more before she finally just blinks and blurts out a baffled

"What?"

Austin, who is still sitting in front of her, quirked his eyebrow in amusement and shakes his head in mock disappointment at the short brunette.

"You know the polite response would be 'it's nice to meet you as well'. First you throw boiling substances on me and now this, were you raised by wolves?"

And honestly at that point she doesn't know what to say because he's teasing her, but he's not angry and she's sure she's seen him somewhere before. He's waiting for the pin to drop, and for a terrifying moment he thinks that she's completely forgotten who he is.

But then her eyes widen in realisation and she starts to smile in recognition because she does remember him. They'd talked for only a few seconds but it was the highlight of her night after being guilted into going to the party in the first place. She also remembers that she kind of fell on him during the group hug and a part of her wonders how it is possible for her to be so clumsy both times they'd met.

Austin watches her as she thinks expects her to mention them meeting at the party or something along those lines.

"But I don't know if it is nice to meet you, I don't know anything about you." She says in response to what he just said

That was not what he expected to happen. For a second he's not sure what to say, but decides to just relax and smiles down at her.

"Of course it's nice meeting me. I'm adorable" he jokes.

And she just shakes her head and rolls her eyes _(even though secretly she can't disagree) _and responds quickly.

"You can't say it's nice to meet just anyone, you know. It has to be a particularly nice meeting, with a particularly special person" She concludes.

This causes Austin to laugh because it's just an expression and she's taking it way too seriously _(but inside he vows he's going to try his best make this a nice meeting, and somehow act special, although he has no idea what that means)._

* * *

He offers to buy her a new drink _(even though it's completely her fault that her drink has gone down the drain. Figuratively, of course. Literally it's splattered all over his shirt) _and she tries to refuse, mumbling about having to leave.

But a moment later she's sitting in the seat opposite him and they're talking and laughing about things that probably aren't that funny and he teases her about her terrible co-ordination. She kicks him under the table every time and he's sure he'll have a bruise the next day but that's okay. He sees her shivering still and feels bad for her, giving her his jacket that was hanging on the back of his chair _(because the situation obviously needed more cheesiness)_. It's way too big for her but she's still completely grateful, pulling the sleeves down so they cover her hands and playing with the zip of the jacket absentmindedly as they talk.

They talk for an hour until his shirt is dry and she really does have to go _(he's disappointed and although he didn't finish his essay, it's worth it that he got to talk to her). _

That day he finally learns something about her and in turn he tells her about himself too.

She tells him her name is Ally, her birthday is in February and how much she dislikes the rain.

He tells her his name is Austin, his birthday is in June, and offers to drive her home.

After a lot of convincing she accepts and, after she's collected her coat from Julie and has put it on, together they walk out of the coffee shop. Or more run because believe it or not it's still drizzling slightly outside and neither of them are too fond of the rain.

Neither of them notice Mark and Julie's gaze as they walk out, nor do they hear the hushed whisper of_ "they so like each other"_ as the door slams shut behind them.

* * *

He leads her to his car, opens the door _(because he's a gentleman)_ and she climbs in. When he's run around to his side of the car and has gotten in he turns to see her taking off her coat. He watches her fold it up and put it on the floor in the back of the car.

She explains that she doesn't want to ruin the upholstery in the front with the water and he just nods because he's never met someone who is so careful and thoughtful and honestly he's not sure what he could say anyway. Anything he wants to say sounds vaguely along the lines of _'you're so adorable'_ but he chooses to keep that to himself.

As he's about to reverse he can see that her hair has now dried into light curls and he desperately wants to push them back behind her ear so he can see her face. He keeps that to himself too.

The two travel in comfortable silence, the only sound being the splashing of rainfall and Ally's occasional directions and apologies about his shirt. He doesn't mention that he hated the shirt anyway because he likes hearing her voice, even if she is saying the same thing over and over again.

* * *

All too soon they reach her house and he drops her off.

She smiles and nods at him in thanks, her hand on the door handle, ready to face the outdoors. However before she leaves she turns in her seat, leans forward and kisses him on the cheek as a way of thanks.

_(He's got a girlfriend who is also her friend and for a second she feels guilty, but then she reassures herself that it was just a thank you, nothing more). _

Her cheeks still turn slightly red though and she says one more thing before climbing out of the car. Austin is staring at her retreating back running towards her house by the time he is rendered capable of speech and thought. He can't help but smile because of what she said and laughs as Ally _(he loves that he now knows her name)_ fights with her house door for a moment before ducking into the building gratefully.

He drives away to his home and it's not until the next morning that he realises that he never did get his jacket back from her.

And then it's on the way to school that he sees her coat, still sitting in the back seat of his car. He decides that he's going to see her again, because he figures it would be rude not to return her coat to her. It could rain again and then she would be stuck.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he maybe, (_definitely) _wants to see her again.

And for a moment he thinks there's a possibility she may want to see him again because of what she said when she left his car last night.

_"Nice to meet you as well" _

**A/N: I seem to have an obsession with items of clothing; first the coat and then the jacket. How about a scarf and a jumper next time? Yes? No.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys here is Part 3 and it's a little longer than usual, sorry haha. But anyways, thank you for all your positive comments and stuff and I hope you enjoy this too. **

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Austin and Ally**

**Part 3 **

"**Wanna hang out this weekend?" **

Austin doesn't know if he's ever been in a more awkward situation.

Sure, he had called his female teacher 'mum' quite a few times when he was younger _(and also Mr Taylor one time, who was not at all impressed)_ and he'd asked someone out and been rejected in front of the whole school before _(Paula Stuart had turned down the haribo ring he had saved especially for her when he was 8)._

However, right now had the potential to top all those previous times. Right now he wanted to dissolve into a pile of sand on the floor and disappear or maybe melt into a puddle of skin, sweat, hormones and whatever else teenage boys are made of.

But unfortunately the chances of that happening were disappointingly slim so he's kind of stuck in this moment with no escape. Well there's always the window but considering he's on the second floor that probably wasn't a smart idea, despite how much he wanted to leave.  
Honestly, his situation isn't really that bad. He's just sitting silently between two girls as they chat to one another.

That would be perfectly fine for Austin, it's happened before. But the problem was more to do with the girls specifically. The problem was that one of them was his girlfriend and the other was his girl friend _(or at least he though she was. Is he allowed to call her his friend after only meeting twice?).  
_

One was Cassidy and one was Ally.

And also one of them was wearing his jacket.

And in regard to laws and expectations relating to relationships and items of clothing, the wrong girl was wearing his jacket, i.e. the girl that he is not in a relationship with.

* * *

Austin was late to lunch that day, on account of having to go to the library to do some extra work that was in for his next lesson. It had been absolute torture. He was acutely aware of the librarian looking over his shoulder every 5 seconds and the squeaking of the book cart was starting to make his eye twitch. When he had finally finished the work to the best of his ability _(answered 'a' for every remaining question)_ he was finally able to leave and go to meet his friends in the lunch hall. He walks into the cafeteria and scans the room to find them.

Then he sees her.

He's reminded of her yellow coat that's sitting in the glove compartment of his car (_he doesn't want it getting lost). _

He knew he'd have to return it at some point. Unfortunately he hadn't seen her around much or had a chance to talk to her or-okay maybe he was just stalling because he was nervous to see her again. Or to be more specific, nervous that once he returned it he'd have lost his excuse to talk to her again. At least at this point he had something to cling onto, guaranteeing he would see her again, but when he'd returned the coat, what then?

She'd say thank you (_and probably wonder why it took so long to get returned) _and then they'd go their separate ways _(although he'd still see her at school_), their paths never crossing _again (okay so maybe he's just being dramatic). _

It seems that now would have been a good moment for him to go and talk to her about it.

That is, if she wasn't sitting at his lunch table with his friends. Not that he minds particularly about that. It's more to do with the fact that she's wearing his jacket. And right next to her? His girlfriend.

In that split second Austin decides that maybe the library isn't all that bad, so what if they librarian yells at you, or if there's chewing gum on the walls, it really isn't that bad _(he may also be thinking about the way his heart beats a little faster seeing her wearing his jacket but no one needs to know about that._). So with the unconvincing thought in his mind that the library is a good place to be Austin tries to casually back away slowly, hoping that no one noticed him. He's almost home and dry, just about to step out of the door and he can almost hear the screeching of the book cart. He gives himself a mental high five for getting out of a situation that could be dangerous for his health.

"Hey, Austin!? Come over here!"

Never mind.  
He turns back to the table and see's the grinning face of his redheaded best friend, who at that moment was standing on a chair and waving frantically so he stood out, as if the zebra print suspenders didn't already do that.

The entire table look up to see what all the noise is about and Austin see's Ally look up from her conversation with Cassidy in curiosity. Her eyes look around the room and then they finally land on him. He has no idea what she's thinking when her mouth drops open slightly. He's worried she doesn't want to see him but then she's smiling. He starts to smile back but then remembers that everyone is staring at him and he should probably go sit down.

When he reaches the table he's not sure where he should sit. He could easily have sat next to Dez on the other side of the bench, but Cassidy insists on making a space for him, right next to her. Conveniently he's also right next to Ally because he's stationed in the middle of the two _(which is a bad idea firstly because now he's sitting in the middle of two chatting girls and secondly he feels extremely awkward). _Great.

When he sits down Cassidy decides that it's a good idea to re-introduce Austin and Ally

"Austin, you remember Ally from my mum and dad's anniversary party, right?" She asks

He decides it's probably best to play along and pretend they hadn't met properly before.

"It's nice to properly meet you" he says and he shakes her hand because that's what you do when you meet and are introduced to someone for the first _(third)_ time.

She grabs his hand in response and smiles.

"It's nice to meet you as well" she replies and they share a smile because it's a complete déjà vu moment _(oh, and she just indirectly said that he was special again). _

They're still smiling at each other and he's still holding her hand, but then she lets go _(and he realises that is she hadn't let go he certainly wouldn't have). _

Cassidy seems satisfied and the two girls resume their conversation.

Austin breathed a sigh of relief. Dez was sitting opposite him, grinning at his best friend's arrival and starting to talk animatedly about something or other, although Austin isn't quite concentrating because right next to him sat an extremely pretty girl with an angel face and an adorable laugh.

Sadly for him he isn't talking about Cassidy _(because things would be much easier if he was)._

So far everything's been fine. He's talking to Dez, she's talking to Cassidy and nothing has happened that could make him sound stupid or put them in an awkward conversation.

"Hey Ally, I like your jacket" Dez comments innocently.

Spoke too soon.

Ally looks down at it and her cheeks flush a little, realising that she was wearing Austin's jacket. It was more of an impulse when she combined the unusually chilly weather outside with a warm winter jacket.  
She hadn't even noticed that the jacket was way too big for her, the sleeves went way past her hands and that it smelt faintly of soap and aftershave and Austin. Okay there was a possibility _(certainty)_ that maybe _(definitely)_ she had noticed these things _(but she was in a rush that morning and it was right there hanging on her door handle mockingly).  
_  
Playing with the zip of the jacket and looking back up from her lap she tries not to make eye contact with the red head staring intently at her.

She doesn't notice the death stare that Dez receives from the boy sitting next to her.

Austin had mentioned to him that he'd lent the jacket to her and Dez had spent the next few hours saying that was a _'total boyfriend move._' Austin had tried to convince him that he was just being polite, that's all_ (even though he'd watched enough romance films to know that is was a cliché boyfriend move)._Dez seemed to have completely forgotten this and thought he was just making friendly conversation.

Ally isn't sure exactly what she should say.

"Uh thanks" she answers, hoping that the conversation is over with and she can go back to talking to Cassidy, who'd started to play on her phone, about a party that was coming up that weekend (_by talking she meant being pressure and convinced to go to said party.)_ Luck was obviously not on her side because Dez decides to continue, his eyes almost gleaming in obliviousness.

"What do you think of it, Cassidy?"

Austin's eyes widen and a flash of betrayal crosses over his features until his glare returns, fiercer than ever, willing for his best friend to shut up. Why would he ask that?

At this point Ally has stopped playing with the zip of the jacket and looks up sharply. Her face is going slightly pale and Austin feels guilty that she's being put through this because of him. She knows nothing happened and so does he, but the situation wouldn't look too great from the outside if people knew she had his jacket.

Cassidy looks up from her phone for a minute and glances at the short brunette quickly. She shrugs non-committedly.

"It's a little big for her, but it definitely suits her. It's like she's meant to wear it." Cassidy says

If only she could realise what she had just insinuated, Austin thinks, as she says it so nonchalantly. He can't disagree though. The jacket almost swallows her up but in some way it's perfect for her. He's likes her wearing it a lot more than he probably should and pushes away that thought. Ally chooses to ignore that last part _(although her pink cheeks suggest otherwise)_ and lets out a shaky breath, thanking her. That didn't go as badly as she'd thought.

"Hmm, you're right. It's as if she was given it by a boy." Dez wonders out loud, not noticing the damage he is causing.

Cassidy glances at the jacket again then freezes. Her eyes grow big and she drops her phone onto the table loudly glaring accusingly past Austin and at the short brunette. Austin winces and braces himself.

His eyes flicker over to Ally's and he sees the panic. He want to mouth that he's sorry but his other friends are around and that would not help their case.

What he didn't expect is for Cassidy to lean in front of him as if he wasn't there, admitting a high pitched squeal and an exclamation of

"Ally! You got a boyfriend and didn't even tell me?!"

Yes, that was unexpected.  
Evidently Ally was surprised too because for a moment she's frozen and her mouth has dropped open.

Austin flickers his gaze between the two girls and panics when Ally remains frozen. Seeing no other option he moves his hand to her waist and jabs Ally lightly in the side, hoping that she's ticklish. She squirms slightly and jumps up, as if she had just woken up.

The entire table is staring at her expectantly and she's not sure what she's supposed to say.  
If she says yes she'll face a never ending torrent of questions that she'll consequently have to lie about, whereas if she says no she'll have to explain the whole situation and while nothing actually happened_, 'I'm wearing your boyfriends jacket'_ probably wouldn't go down to well.

"Uh no?" She answers and it seems to come out as a question because she's not really sure what Cassidy wanted to hear.

"C'mon! Tell me about the mystery guy who gave you his jacket!"

Cassidy exclaims, unsurprisingly not believing Ally's lie.

Ally has never been a good liar and she doesn't think she ever will be. Her voice goes high pitched and it just makes her feel deceitful. People see right through her.

So Ally sighs to herself and decides that she should tell the truth.

"Uh, he was really sweet. I was cold from the rain so he let me borrow his jacket and we talked for a while."

Cassidy squeals

"That is such a boyfriend move!"

Its official, everyone thinks that it's a boyfriend move. Austin knows that Dez would be looking smug right now it he understood what was happening.

Before Ally can disagree with Cassidy, the excitable girl carries on.

"So is he cute?" She gushes excitedly, wanting to know all the details.

She didn't realise how awkward a question that was, considering Ally was talking about her boyfriend.

"I don't know-"Ally stuttered.

"C'mon tell me!" Cassidy coaxed persuasively.

Ally sighed to herself, knowing that she would eventually have to answer.

"Um, yeah. Yeah he is."

This is completely mortifying for her considering the boy she's talking about her is sitting just centimetres away. She refuses to meet his eye and looks down at her lap. She doesn't see the smug smile on his face _(and she doesn't realise that she had just made him extremely happy and his ego expand)_.

Her cheeks have flushed red and he grins at her even though she can't see him. Personally he finds it adorable when she gets embarrassed and just stares at her while Cassidy throws more questions at the embarrassed girl. From the corner of his eye he sees Dez's curious gaze, noticing him staring, and Austin shakes his head at his cluelessness. He'll explain it to him later.

Cassidy has finally stopped her interrogation, deciding she'll carry on with it later and has turned back to her phone.

Austin almost feels the urge to strangle Dez for causing that episode but remembers his rationality. Dez hadn't said anything directly relating to him so it was fine. He was fine. Everything was fine.

"Don't you have one just like that, Austin?"

Nothing is fine and now he's planning the most painful and elaborate way to kill and torture the boy he'd know since kindergarten. Again the phone is placed on the table _(thankfully this time it isn't slammed so Austin is spared from another heart attack).  
_

"You're right, it does look like one you have Austin. Except you'd never let anyone wear it." Cassidy observes.

Okay, so maybe he's a little protective over that jacket in particular _(but he didn't give a second thought when he had let Ally borrow it)._ She didn't need to know it was his absolute favourite _(but now she did).  
_

He tries to breathe. It's fine. They haven't done anything wrong _(but it looks bad)._

Besides, there is more than one version of a jacket in the world, there's no way to tell that it's specifically his.

"But of course yours has your name stitched under the collar," Cassidy continues

He wants to punch himself repeatedly in the face because he is a full blown idiot.  
Why would he get his name on a jacket? It's not like he's going to forget it.

Cassidy is still talking when he zones back into the conversation.

"Hey, maybe your mystery boyfriend's name is stitched there too. Let's have a look-"

Cassidy smiles and then she's reaching over to lift up the collar, Austin has his eyes closed in dread and Ally is staring at the hand nearing her in complete and utter fear. He waits for a moment to hear the gasp. But it never comes because Ally is saying something

"The stitching all came loose, so his name isn't there anymore" she says desperately.

It's a rubbish excuse but she sounds convincing and for a second even Austin believes her until he remembers. Cassidy and the rest of the table seem to buy it too and finally the conversation moves on and he can finally breathe properly.

Next to him he hears Ally sigh in relief and glances over, sending her a small smile which she returns before looking down to her lap again and playing with the zipper once more.

* * *

The bell goes shortly after and they all part their separate ways. Cassidy and Ally have their next class together and they both say goodbye to him before he turns into his classroom.

Cassidy hugs him and kisses him on the cheek simultaneously before letting go and waiting expectantly for Ally to say her goodbyes too.

She just stands there awkwardly, not sure what she's actually allowed to do that is acceptable. Should she shake his hand or hug him?

She puts her hand out and he puts his arms out for a hug. Quickly they switch motions and they end up laughing at one another.

"Oh just hug him" Cassidy says exasperatedly from a few metres away, turning to talk to another girl in their class who was waiting with them.

Cassidy never was the jealous type and was perfectly fine with other people hugging her boyfriend.

Austin and Ally shrug nonchalantly _(both of their heart have started beating a little faster though). _

She has to stand on her tiptoes _(stupid height difference)_ and places her arms around his neck _(she practically throws herself at him, not that he minds)._ He wraps one arm around her waist and the other is on her back pulling her closer to him _(closer than they probably should be). _He buries his nose in her hair _(it smells of strawberries with toffee and something he can't quite place. He settles on the scent 'Ally' because there's no other description)_ and closes his eyes for a second. Her cheek is brushing his so for a second neither of them are breathing and they probably hug longer than they probably should, _(and in comparison with his and Cassidy's hug, it lasts forever_) but neither of them care too much and everything seems to fades away _(it really is that cliché)._

But then all too soon the chatter of the corridor returns and they're letting go of one another reluctantly. She meets his eyes for a second before looking down to the floor and before he can say another word Cassidy finishes her conversation and is whisking Ally way down the corridor. Cassidy doesn't looking back and starts chatting about who Ally's mystery boyfriend is _(he's closer than she thinks)_ leaving Austin staring at their retreating backs. They're about to round the corner and Austin sighs to himself. His head is really messed up right now but at least his heart is beating normally again.

Ally starts to disappear behind the corner behind Cassidy and turns quickly to see him still standing outside his classroom. She waves quickly and smiles before she disappears from view.

Regular beating hearts are overrated anyway, he thinks as his starts to speed up considerably once again. It can't be good for his health, but he's fine with it continuing to happen if he gets to see her more often.

In the middle of class, when he's supposed to be paying attention, he starts to find himself thinking about her again. He wants to see her and then he realises that he can because her still needs to return her coat.

* * *

The next day he's casually sitting outside her house clutching her yellow raincoat to his chest and wow he sounds creepy. He had remembered where she lived because of dropping her off after the coffee shop _incident_ but admittedly it was still a bit stalkerish. There's no time to dwell on that though because Austin is too busy deciding what exactly he's going to say that won't make him sound desperate or like he was using the coat as an excuse to see her _(that would be ridiculous of course...)_

Eventually he climbs out of his car and makes the journey to her front door with the coat grasped in his hands. The pathway ends all too soon and he's standing in front of her front door, which looks a lot more daunting than it really is. He reaches up and rings the doorbell, hearing it echoing inside the house. For a moment he's greeted with silence but then he hears light footsteps approaching and the fumbling of the lock. He can hear that the person is struggling with it and is muttering under their breath in annoyance. That's when he knows it must be Ally.

For a moment he feels a surge of relief that it isn't her dad because he is in no way ready to explain to a protective parent why he is there and why he has their daughter's raincoat. But then the relief is quickly replaced with nervousness again because the door has swung open revealing a flustered looking Ally. She's wearing his jacket again and he still can't get over how much he likes her wearing it.

She looks surprised to see him _(of course, teenage boys don't randomly turn up at her house often) _and then her glance shifts from his face to what he's holding in his arms. She lets out a laugh and takes the coat as he offers it to her.

"You brought it back to me! That's so sweet of you." she exclaimsin wonder at the bashful boy standing in front of her. In an odd change of events it is Austin who is blushing for once and Ally is the one finding it adorable _(later she refuses to admit to herself that she had ever though that). _

But then the universe it righted again because she's blushing when she notices that she's wearing his jacket. Again.

She places the raincoat on a peg behind her and moves to take off the jacket.

"It's fine, uh...that jacket was getting too small for me. You can keep it" Austin interjects before she has unfastened the zip. She looks up to see if he's serious and he is. She tries to protest but he's adamant that she keeps it _(honestly she didn't try too hard). _

Neither of them are at all convinced by his excuse _(it was fitting perfectly a few weeks ago)_ but neither of them say anything. Ally keeps quiet because she really has started to love this jacket and feels safe in it. Austin keeps quiet because she looked so darn adorable and he secretly liked that she would own something with his name on it.

* * *

"So are you going to the beach party this weekend?" Austin asks as they're walking towards his car _(Ally insists that she walks him there even though it's only a few metres away)_

Ally sighs and grimaces. That doesn't look like a positive response.

"Hopefully not." She sounds like it pains her to even talk about going to the party.

"Why not?" He questions, which was probably not the best idea because a second later she jumps into a rant about how much she hates the beach and parties and dancing which makes him regret asking _(but then again its quite cute how worked up she gets). _

Unfortunately eventually he starts to get a bit dizzy from following her frenzied gesticulations and wide sweeps of the arm so decides to cut her off before she pokes either of them in the eye.

"So I'm guessing you don't like beaches, or parties or dances?" He cuts in when she starts to talk about the psychological problems that can be caused by strobe lights at parties.

"How did you know?" The sarcasm is dripping from every word, but she's flushing slightly in embarrassment because she didn't intend to talk so much and now she's probably scared him off _(she's lucky that he finds the whole thing pretty adorable). _

He shrugs exaggeratedly.

"Just a feeling." They stop by the car door and she rolls her eyes at his answer.

"Cassidy wants me to go but I really don't want to."

Ally says and unconsciously Austin takes the tiniest step away from her when he hears Cassidy's name.

"So just tell her you're busy." Austin suggests, seeing how much she would rather do anything else than go to the party.

Ally sighs. It sounds so easy, but not for her.

"But I'm not busy, and I hate lying."

Austin doesn't say anything but looks to be thinking hard about something. Then his eyes light up and he looks like he had just made a miraculous discovery.

"Do you wanna hang out this weekend?" He finally exclaims, smiling widely.

She's taken back in surprise because that was completely random thing to say _(also because maybe she likes the thought of talking to him and spending a day with him). _

"What?" she finally answers, the confusion evident in her voice.

"Well you said you didn't want to lie about being busy and if you're hanging out with me it won't be a lie."

Ally can't help but think that it sounds like a smart idea but her expression is conflicted and seems to be thinking hard about something. He doesn't know that she's thinking about what Cassidy will think if she spends time with her boyfriend _(she may also be thinking about how much she really wants to spend more time with him. She still feels a bit guilty). _

Austin on the other hand is trying to convince himself that it's okay if she says no. It's not like he'll feel extremely disappointed if she doesn't want to spend time with him _(yes he will)_.

"Just as friends, right?" She finally says

Austin's heart cracks a teeny tiny bit at that _(which is ridiculous because he's already got a girlfriend that he likes a lot). _He shakes his head to snap himself out of it because he's just being stupid now. Of course it's as friends, what else would it have been as? But why does he not like that label as much as he probably should?

"Yeah. Friends" He replies trying to keep his voice neutral.

For some reason Ally doesn't particularly like the sound of that either, even though she's the one who said it first and her chest sinks a little. She too decides that she's just being stupid and scolds herself for even thinking of anything more. Besides, friends don't want to be in a relationship with other friends' boyfriends; they are off limits. (_She tries to ignore the fact that she admitted she'd want to be in a relationship with him. She decides to keep that to herself.)_

"Then yes." Ally tilts her head slightly and smiles up at him.

Internally Austin was cheering but on the outside he remained cool and collected.

"It's a date." Austin smiles back at her

Neither of them comment on his choice of words. They both know that it's not a date and that it's just two friends of the opposite sex spending time together _(but inside both of them kind of wish it was). _

* * *

Eventually Austin climbs into his car and drives home _(in his windscreen mirror he can see her watching until he rounds the corner)_.

When he's driving he starts to think about everything. He decides that he can settle for friendship for now, but he has no idea how long that's going to last. He can't help but feel drawn towards her even though they've only met a few times, and he knows he won't be able to ignore it for much longer.

There's just something in the way. Or more like _someone_. That someone being his girlfriend.

That was a problem.


End file.
